The
incidence of AIDS may be decreasing in the general population, but not
in Latino communities. In Chicago, AIDS is the leading cause of death
among Latino women between the ages of 25 and 44. Moreover, HIV infection
rates are increasing for Latino women and women of color in general.

Nena
Peragallo, an associate professor in UIC's College of Nursing, has launched
an AIDS prevention program called Project SEPA - Salud/Health, Educacion/Education,
Prevencion/Prevention y Autocuidado/Self-Care - funded by the National
Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research. The program
is based on a social learning model that calls for interactive education
and a battery of training in communication and behavioral skills.

Project
SEPA is unusual, however, in that it is led by and for Latino women
and is specifically tailored to meet their needs. The program began
a year ago, with 520 participants to date. Peragallo is recruiting now
for the next phase of the project and hopes to have a total of more
than 700 participants by the project's end.

"Despite
the rising incidence of HIV infection among Latino women, no other community-based
culturally tailored program has been developed and adequately tested
to address these women's concerns," said Peragallo.

To
develop the initial program, Peragallo and collaborators in the College
of Nursing and the department of sociology conducted a series of focus
groups to learn what issues Latino women found important and what they
wanted from an AIDS prevention program. The current program, which was
pilot-tested earlier, consists of six two-hour sessions for groups of
10 to 12 women. The sessions, conducted over the course of six weeks,
are facilitated by trained bilingual and bicultural nurses.

Latino
women have reported high rates of satisfaction with the program because
it covers not only basic anatomy, HIV/AIDS in the Latino community,
and male and female condom use, but also communication with partners
and family, conflict management and prevention of violence. Through
role-playing, participants practice talking more openly with their partners
and learn negotiating skills to avoid risky sexual behaviors. Discussion
fosters an atmosphere in which participants feel free to ask any questions
they have.

According
to Peragallo, one difficulty in decreasing HIV infection rates in the
Latino community has been the lack of access to information about the
risk of contracting AIDS - in particular, information in Spanish. Furthermore,
studies, including preliminary data from Project SEPA, have shown that
condom use is low in this population.

Recruitment
for the next SEPA program starts Monday, Feb. 28. The program itself
will start April 4. Latino women who are interested in participating
in the study can call (312) 996-9994, (312) 355-2405 or (312) 996-5021.

With
25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest
and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the
largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national
Research I universities. Its College of Nursing is ranked among the
top 10 nursing schools in the country. Located just west of Chicago's
Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural
fabric of the area.